Gobia and Paimon have always been competitors.
Among the Hollywood movies in May, "Night of the Gods" is produced by Paimon and "Army of Darkness" is produced by Gobia.
Judging from the current Chinese box office, Colombia is actually at a disadvantage, but judging from the Hollywood box office, Colombia has the upper hand.
Global box office total?
Well, one has a total box office of 50 million, and the other has a box office of 49.5 million, which is really not much different.
In other words, it is hard to tell who wins and who loses.
So, when James knew that John was also trying to grab the copy of "Groundhog Day", he started to compete with him secretly.
He wanted to obtain the overseas license for Groundhog Day because the film could make money, but he also had to save face.
He felt he couldn't lose.
John is similar to James.
He was badly criticized for his last movie "The Alien", so this time, in addition to wanting to clean up his impression among his superiors, he also had the mentality of not being able to lose.
When the overseas authorization of a movie is given a competitive meaning, the nature of the matter begins to change.
Of course, the two of them started to compete privately, but the expressions on their faces still looked like they were good friends.
After all, not long after they got off the car, countless reporters surrounded them.
"Director James... May I ask what are you doing in China this time?"
"Mr. John...Excuse me, are you here with Mr. James? What are you doing in China?"
"Hello, Director James. Are you coming to China to prepare a new movie? I heard that your "California Nights" is expected to be released in June? I wonder if it's true..."
"Hello, Mr. John, there are rumors that you and your wife have a bad relationship. Is this true?"
“…”
Camera lights flashed.
Countless microphones were handed to the two men.
Countless reporters had excited expressions on their faces.
Facing these shots, both of them smiled.
"I didn't come to China to make a movie this time, but to visit my old friend Lu Yuan. At the same time, we at Paimon are very interested in Lu Yuan's "Groundhog Day", so I came here today to discuss the overseas distribution rights of this movie..."
"I also came here specially to visit Mr. Lu Yuan. My purpose is the same as Mr. James's, which is to obtain the overseas distribution rights for Groundhog Day. I felt very sorry for missing out on The Man From Earth last time, so I don't want to miss it again this time..."
The two gave the same answer...
But all the reporters could smell a hint of gunpowder and explosive points!
Yes!
Hollywood actually took a fancy to Lu Yuan’s “Groundhog Day”!
What does that mean?
Does this mean that China finally has a movie that has been recognized by Hollywood and is being sought after?
All the reporters' eyes lit up at the same time and they were instantly excited!
This Lu Yuan is awesome!
…
"How is it going? Has the overseas copyright been sold?"
"Director Shen, Paimon's intention is to lower the overseas price of this movie a little bit..."
“How much do they want to press?”
"A million dollars."
"Only one million dollars..."
"Director Shen, there's nothing we can do about it. Ever since the overseas box office failure of 'Alien', it's become increasingly difficult for Chinese films to go overseas. Even if they do go overseas, the price won't be more than three million US dollars."
"My movie may not do very well at the box office in China, but it won't be bad overseas. After all, the content of "Alien Era" is interstellar science fiction, and I think the plot is not bad... I think it is necessary to negotiate with Paimon..."
"Director Shen, there's no point in saying this."
"Why didn't it work?"
"These Americans only look at box office performance and past achievements. In the past two years, our films that have been exported overseas have almost been wiped out. We really don't have the capital to negotiate with them now..."
"But one million dollars is really too low!"
"Director Shen, we have to be patient. As long as this movie becomes popular overseas, no, not popular at all, well, as long as we can create corresponding value and let Paimon make some money, then we will have a chance to raise the buyout price for our next movie..."
"Ah... this is the only way."
“…”
At noon, after hanging up the phone with the overseas manager, Shen Lianjie sat quietly in a chair and looked into the distance.
"Alien Era" has officially been taken off the shelves today.
This movie made Shen Lianjie doubt his life again.
The box office of more than 10 million on the first day of the premiere made Shen Lianjie very excited. He even imagined that the box office of this movie could exceed 300 million...
pity……
It’s the same old story again. The box office has been declining. Although it lasted a little longer than the first two films, it’s still a tragic movie that was taken off the screen early…
The total box office in China for this movie has just exceeded 80 million.
With an investment of 50 million, the box office of 80 million is really...
It pounced again.
He is still being scolded on the Internet, and if this continues, he feels that he will be scolded by movie fans as the king of bad movies.
The failure of both word of mouth and box office made him officially autistic.
In this situation, Shen Lianjie began to focus on overseas box office. If the overseas box office can explode, then this movie can still be saved...
But.
Overseas, we were told that the buyout price for this movie was very low, only one million...
What can you do with a million dollars?
Can I buy screenwriter Sun Peng’s villa in Yanjing?
cannot……
“Ding Dong.”
Just as Shen Lianjie was sitting in the chair, not knowing what expression to use to describe his emotions at the moment, he heard a "ding dong" sound from the computer.
Then he saw a pop-up news.
"Shock! Director James and John came to China for..."
writer of sensational headlines!
These unscrupulous journalists!
Although Shen Lianjie thought this in his heart, he still obediently clicked on the news.
After all, James is a Hollywood director, and definitely a heavyweight director. He must have come to China for something important.
Who knows if he is coming to China to shoot some new movie?
After clicking on the news, a video popped up. After Shen Lianjie saw the content of the video, his expectant expression changed instantly.
"I'm here on behalf of our Paimon Company. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding caused by the last movie "The Man from Earth"..."
"This time, I am very sincere... As for the overseas distribution rights, we will definitely give a generous price, and the company will allow Mr. Lu to get a certain share..."
The voices of James and John echoed in Shen Lianjie's ears.
Shen Lianjie's chest kept rising and falling, and his face gradually turned red, as if he had been slapped hard in the face.
When I was worrying about the price of overseas distribution rights, Lu Yuan's overseas distribution rights turned out to be...
It’s actually being fought over by others?
This moment...
Shen Lianjie closed his eyes.
At this moment, millions of alpacas are no longer enough to describe his feelings.
…
When James and John arrived at Lu Yuan's company, they were shocked by the scale of Lu Yuan's company!
Yes, shocked.
They had never seen a company this small.
Can this also be considered an entertainment company?
this……
This entire company is not as good as a department of their company!
They asked their bodyguards and assistants to stand outside and not go in.
They felt that if all their bodyguards went in, the room would become very crowded.
"Gentlemen, please come this way..."
Wu Tingting politely took the two of them to the conference room.
In the conference room, Lu Yuan was already waiting there.
"Mr. James, Mr. John, good afternoon..."
"Good afternoon, Mr. Lu..."
"Hello……"
"Mr. Lu Yuan, I came here for only one purpose this time, and that is to get the overseas distribution rights for Groundhog Day. Our company can grant you certain overseas rights..."
"Mr. Lu Yuan, it's the same with our company. I believe you should be aware of our Gbia's strength..."
After the three of them exchanged greetings, James was the first to state the purpose of his visit. Before Lu Yuan could reply after he finished speaking, John also stated his purpose in an instant.
“…”
Wu Tingting wanted to translate, but was stopped by Lu Yuan.
He wants to improve his speaking skills.
He felt that his English level had improved a lot recently. Although he couldn't understand the details, he could still understand the general meaning.
So he opened his mouth, organized his words, and took a deep breath.
"I'm glad that you two...liked the movie. I'm glad...I'm very...actually...I..."
After hearing Lu Yuan's words, the two looked confused...
The air suddenly became quiet...
Lu Yuan's expectant expression suddenly turned awkward...
"Mr. Lu, let me translate your words..."
"good……"
After James and the other man listened to Wu Tingting's translation, they finally understood something.
It turned out that he meant to refuse.
The two looked at each other...
Both sides sensed a hint of tension.
"Mr. Lu Yuan, please listen to our conditions before you refuse... You should know our company. Our company is one of the seven major companies in Hollywood. Our company..." At this time, John immediately took the lead in introducing his company.
"Our Paimon Company is not bad either. Our strength is obvious to all. At the same time, we..." John was halfway through his speech when James also started...
“…”
“…”
Five million dollars, six million dollars...
Five percent share, six percent share...
After hearing these numbers from the two people, Lu Yuan felt like he saw money waving at him.
He thought he was not greedy for money and would not be tempted by it...
But……
He found out he was wrong.
Even though he already has hundreds of millions of RMB, and even though he himself feels that he is not a money-loving person.
but……
He still couldn't resist the golden look.
His heart was beating fast.
He appeared calm on the surface, but deep down inside he was already in turmoil, with a conflict between his inner thoughts and his conscience.
or……
Sold it directly?
No, I can’t sell it, after all, I have my own company in Hollywood!
But what if this movie doesn’t make money in overseas markets? Who can guarantee that their movie will make money and become a big hit in overseas markets? Can a miracle like “This Man From Earth” happen again? What if it loses money? Wouldn’t that mean everything will be lost?
Perhaps, the most conservative way is to sell it to them directly. After all, it is always a win-win situation to get the money first.
but……
Lu Yuan found himself very conflicted.
finally……
"I'm sorry...you two, I've already sold the overseas rights to this movie to the Huaxin brothers, sorry..."
"I'm sorry, I can't reveal the exact number, but I'm sorry..."
"You two, Wu Tingting, can you please help me book a hotel for you..."
“…”
It takes courage to say no.
Lu Yuan mustered up the courage to reject the two.
After the rejection, although he looked apologetic and did not show any other gesture, the fact was that he felt that his body had been hollowed out.
He saw the glittering money leaving before his eyes...
I'm not a money-grubber!
I am not! Never have been!
He tried hard to remind himself to let go of these messy thoughts.
But……
It's of no use!
"Mr. Lu Yuan, I think we can still talk. In fact, I think..."
"Yes, Huaxin Brothers is a very small company. I know you value friendship, but this Groundhog Day is also your hard work, right? You don't want your hard work to be wasted, right?"
“…”
“Sorry, sorry…”
Lu Yuan shook his head and looked out the window.
“…”
…
James and John left the office...
Both of them felt that Lu Yuan had taken the wrong medicine.
What's wrong with this person?
Whether the authorization is given to Paimon or Gobia, everyone will have no problem and will just be a little unhappy at most.
But……
No matter how they persuaded Lu Yuan or talked to him about various benefits, Lu Yuan insisted on not agreeing and kept refusing.
If this isn't the wrong medicine, then what is?
It's always better to work with a strong company than such a small company, right?
They shook their heads.
Just as they walked out of the company door, Thomson and Downey also arrived.
Behind the two of them was a group of extremely excited reporters who were stopped by security guards.
The reporters were indeed excited!
Thomson, James, John...
These people all came to see Lu Yuan!
All here!
Isn't this exciting?
However, Thompson probably has no hope.
Who made him late?
But that’s not right…
Judging from the expressions of James and John, it seems...
Something's not right?
After seeing the two people, Thomson felt annoyed and felt that he might really be too late.
But he saw that there was something wrong with their expressions.
"Director James, Mr. John, what are you doing..."
"Go back, Director Thomson, Mr. Lu Yuan has authorized it..."
"Hmm? Who did you authorize it to?"
"Brother Huaxin..."
"Huh! Mr. James, I thought it was something else...Haha, you may not understand Mr. Lu Yuan, but I do...Donnie, let's go in..."
"yes."
“…”
Thomson and James looked at the confident Thomson with confusion.
Don’t we understand Mr. Lu Yuan?
Do you understand?
They decided to wait for Thomson a little longer...
About twenty minutes later, they saw Thomson and Donnie, looking doubtful about life, being escorted out of the company by Wu Tingting and Lu Yuan...
All the confidence I had before seemed to be gone.
He also looked like Lu Yuan had taken the wrong medicine...
"Huh? Director James, Mr. John, you guys are still here?"
"Don't stand here with us, how about having dinner together?"
“…”
From a distance, Lu Yuan saw the two people standing in the company yard, his eyes lit up and he came up to them with a warm look on his face.
…
Joaquin Headquarters.
"What?"
"Did Lu Yuan really take the wrong medicine?"
"Medium, Paimon, Gobia...he rejected them all?"
"I'm so fucking..."
“Is this fake news?”
After hearing this news, Shen Lianjie also began to doubt his life...
He even felt that he and Lu Yuan were not playing the same game...